Browse Chronogram Conversations

Fire on Fire: Mars Ingresses Sagittarius.

Mars enters Sagittarius Saturday at 5:57 pm EDT, after about a month and a half in Scorpio, which it rules. What does it mean to have the planet of drive, desire and physicality -- representing the male principle in astrology -- leave the ‘steam heat’ of Scorpio for this new sign?

For one, Sagittarius is a fire sign -- and Mars is a fiery energy. If Mars in Scorpio was the slow burn, or the sense of dropping deep into the erotic magma at your core, Mars in Sagittarius is about fanning that heat out into the world. It’s about letting something ignite within you that can translate your more idealistic desires and goals into some tangible adventure.

Now if that sounds completely alien or overwhelming to you, consider that most people will not be channeling Mars in Sagittarius in some pure form, or in a vacuum. Everyone will feel it at different strengths. And it will not be active in the same facet of your life as it will be in another person’s, thanks to where Sagittarius falls in individual charts and the natal planets it interacts with.

At the most basic level, you may find yourself drawn more to physical expression and athletic pursuits; you may find yourself really itching to travel, or to talk about some of your loftier philosophies of life and religious/spiritual beliefs.
Essentially, you’re being invited to go beyond your known borders in a bold and adventurous way -- whatever that boils down to for you.

Along with a renewed sense of daring, you may also find that your worst fears about something were not true. It’s easy to forget that much of the time it’s our fears, not actual danger, that hold us back from taking bold steps.

Often what is truly terrifies us is the realization of our own sense of purpose in life. Because once you own that, you begin to run out of excuses for not getting down to business living it. What if the sky’s message is that the current adventure ahead of you has a clear purpose and as much assurance of success as is possible? Will you choose your direction, go forward, and keep going forward?

This is Mars, getting its wings.

“But,” you say, “I can’t fly! And anyone who thinks they can is delusional.”

Perhaps. And to be fair, As soon as Mars enters Sagittarius it will be closing in on a square to Neptune in Pisces.

Mars square Neptune is partly a caution to be honest with yourself and wary of self-delusion in your motives -- and to keep careful tabs on your alcohol and drug use. On a more metaphysical level, it’s a good reason to keep your energetic/psychic boundaries strong and to stay in clear psychic integrity.

But Mars square Neptune has incredible creative potential, too. In a sense, creativity is delusional. That’s the whole idea. It’s not supposed to make perfect sense or be practical. Any relationship into which you channel your creative fire, regardless of its label (work, love, play, etc.), is about to get a real lift.

As it does, you may very well find your voice in a way that is close to your heart. Not in the pages of your journal or the confines of your imagination, but out there -- in your community.